Asking Personal Questions About Kagan: Sessions Says 'Be Careful'

May 16, 2010

By ABCNEWS.COM

How far is too far when looking into a Supreme Court nominee's personal life? That’s the question host Jake Tapper put to the Ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen Jeff Sessions, R-AL, in an exclusive interview this morning on This Week.

“I think you've got to be careful about that,” Sessions said. “I don't believe that is a fundamental judgment call on whether a person can be a good judge or not.”

Sessions said legal matters were more important. “We need to know how able they are to ascertain the real legal issues in a case and deciding it fairly and justly. Will they restrain their personal political views and follow the law faithfully and serve under the Constitution? That's the fundamental test in personal integrity,” he said. “Those are questions that go to the heart of whether a person will be an able judge or not.